Access to health records

• Yes. You have the right to get a copy of your medical record.

• However, the law establishes limitations. If any information in the medical record is acquired from sources other than yourself or healthcare practitioners, consent must be obtained from the person who provided the information.

• The Act also states that patients may be denied a copy of their medical records if it is not in their best interest.

• If a healthcare institution refuses to provide medical records, the refusal can be brought to the attention of the Directorate of Health.

You send a request to the healthcare institution or healthcare professional ‘s office where the service was provided. You specify the period of your medical records for which you request a copy.

• Copy of medical record - Landspítali (Icelandic)

• Copy of medical record - Akureyri Hospital

• If there are urgent reasons to do so, a close relative may be given access to information from the deceased person's medical record.

• It should be noted that medical records often contain highly sensitive personal data. Therefore, the stakes must be high for the person requesting information from the deceased's medical records to be considered an urgent reason for disclosing such data.

• You send a request to the healthcare institution or healthcare professional's office where the service was provided and specify the period of the deceased's medical record for which you request a copy.

• When requesting information from the deceased’s medical record, it is important to state:

• Yes, you have the right to do so. You send a request to the healthcare institution where the service was provided.

• It is necessary to keep in mind that medical records are essential tools for healthcare professionals. Therefore, numerous entries in the medical record are expected to accompany every visit to a healthcare institution, as healthcare professionals must record everything relevant to the service provided. It is not only the healthcare professional who has direct contact with you who needs to access your medical record, but numerous other healthcare professionals who take part in providing the service, some of them without you meeting them face to face. These may include specilists who interpret the results of blood or x ray examinations, specialists who provide opinions for diagnoses, and health information managers who record information about your visit.

• A patients medical record is a database that contains information about the healthcare services that have been provided to a patient by a healthcare institution, such as a hospital, nursing home, healthcare centre, or a healthcare professional's office, a clinic, dental office, or psychological office. Every health care institution and private office where healthcare service is provided, with or without the state's participation, and where healthcare professionals work, is obligated to preserve medical record information in a medical record system.

• Healthcare professionals are responsible for entering information regarding the health care service in the medical record system, under the name and kennitala of the patient.

• Medical records are essential tools for healthcare professionals to provide services and communicate information to other healthcare professionals who require them to treat patients.

• It is essential to collect information for patients' treatment in one place to ensure the continuity of targeted and safe services. Detailed and accessible medical records ensure the proper treatment decisions are made for patients.

• Registration in medical records is necessary for monitoring healthcare, maintaining health records, and developing and controlling quality within institutions, offices, and the health care system.
  
  

The primary sources for opening medical records are:

• A medical record is stored at the healthcare institution or healthcare professional's office where the service was provided, and the data was recorded.

• In the Health Records Act, healthcare institutions or offices are referred to as the supervisors of medical records. The supervisors are responsible for the data in the medical record systems.

• The guardian oversees medical records management within a medical records system to ensure compliance with the Health Records Act.

• Their duties include documenting medical records, processing personal data, granting access to medical record systems, transmitting medical record data, and monitoring medical records.

• The supervisor of medical records appoints the guardian.

• The patient can restrict healthcare professionals' access to certain information in the medical record. The patient may also prohibit certain healthcare professionals from accessing their medical records.

• If healthcare professionals’ access to medical records is limited, patients should consider that such a restriction can be tantamount to treatment rejection, with the possible result of threat to the patient safety as it may limit healthcare professionals’ access to essential information regarding the patients’ health.

• If you wish to restrict healthcare professionals' access to your medical records, direct a request to the appropriate healthcare institution.

• If you think the information in your medical record is incorrect or misleading, you can request that a comment be recorded in your medical record. If it is evident that the information in your medical record is incorrect or misleading, it may be corrected by the medical guardian, provided that no necessary information is lost. Information in your medical record may not be deleted without the permission of the Directorate of Health.

• To consider correcting, changing, or deleting information in medical records, it must be prooved that the information is incorrect or misleading. This authority is interpreted narrowly, meaning that conclusive evidence must be available to justify correcting or changing records in the medical record. The same applies to deletion from the medical record; several factors must be considered before deleting data in medical records.

• If you wish to comment on the information in the medical record, you should direct any comments to the appropriate healthcare institution.
  

• If a healthcare institution refuses to correct a medical record and/or provide data, you can appeal to the Directorate of Health.

• Healthcare institutions are responsible for the security of the data stored in their medical records systems, both concerning access to medical records and monitoring of registrations in medical records and openings.

• The Directorate of Health and the Data Protection Authority also monitor compliance with the provisions of the law on medical records.

• Suppose there is a suspicion that the provisions of the law on medical records have been violated. In that case, complaints can be made to the healthcare institution where the alleged violation occurred, the Directorate of Health, the Data Protection Authority, or the police.

• Autopsy reports are either hospital or forensic. In the case of hospital autopsies, the autopsy report forms part of the deceased's medical records. A forensic autopsy is carried out at the police's request and retained by the police.

• A request for access to hospital autopsy reports shall be addressed to the institution where the death occurred.

• A request for the submission of a forensic report shall be addressed to the police.

• All self-employed healthcare professionals must keep medical records in the same manner as healthcare institutions. When self-employed healthcare professionals cease providing healthcare, they must submit medical records to the Directorate of Health or the National Archives. You may request access to them there.

• If you suspect that your medical record has been accessed without permission, you can complain to the healthcare institution where it was accessed.

• It is necessary to keep in mind that numerous entries in the medical record usually accompany every visit to a healthcare institution. Access to medical record is essential for healthcare professionals in order to secure patient safety, and for their legal obligation to record everything relevant to healthcare provision in Health care records.

• Keep in mind that it is not only the healthcare professional who has direct contact with you who needs to access your medical record when health care service is provided, but numerous other healthcare professionals may also need aceess without you ever meeting them. These may include experts who interpret the results of the examinations, specialists who provide opinions for diagnoses, and health information managers who record information about your visit.

• No, the Directorate of Health has the authority to request access to medical records as part of its supervisory responsibilities, especially concerning complaints and incidents. However, disclosure of these records is not allowed. For additional information regarding requests for access to medical records, please see the discussion in sections 1, 2, and 3.